Lake Shore
Hosp Authority

COLUMBIA COUNTY/LAKE CITY, FL – After a couple of tries and a meeting
where the Lake Shore Hospital Authority (LSHA) Attorney
trampled the rights of the public to comment on the
budget, Governor Scott's Lake Shore Hospital Authority
Board holds its final budget hearing, tonight.

Background
Bollixed Budget Notices: un-doo's and re-doo's

Other than sitting as a member of the the LSHA Board,
Jackson P. "Jack" Berry, Manager of the Lake Shore
Hospital Authority, has no practical government
experience. Before becoming the Authority Manager, a job
created for him, he was known as a "Repo Man."

Under Manager Berry's management, the yearly
budget posting requirements have become problematic.

Four years ago in 2012, the Authority and the LC
Reporter got the budget ad right on the second try:
first try;
second try.

Three years ago in 2013, Authority Manager Berry was
having difficulties advertising the budget notices. The
law requires notice of a tax increase
be a minimum of 1/4 of a page in a daily print
newspaper. In Columbia County, that newspaper is the
Lake City Reporter, Columbia County's only print daily.

The practice and policy of the government agencies is
generally to publish their budgets large enough for them
to be comfortably read. For the Governor's LSHA Board,
readability may or may not be a requirement.

2016: Here they go again.

Mr. Berry finally posted the hearing
scheduled this evening. Mr. Berry's change of heart may
have had something to do with another screw-up and the
intervention, again, of the Department of Revenue.

On Saturday, September 17, in a
barely noticeable miniscule notice, the LC Reporter published as a
news item, Manager Berry's cancellation of the
budget hearing scheduled for Monday night, September 19.
Other than the miniscule news item published by his
friends at the LC Reporter, Mr. Berry did nothing else
to alert the public that the meeting was canceled.

On September 20, at 10:25 am, Letecia Blick of the
Department of Revenue contacted Mr. Berry via email. Mr.
Berry has so far refused to turn over that email to the
Observer.

Ms. Blick wrote: "I am with the Department of
Revenue, Property Tax Oversight Program, and need to
speak with you regarding the TRIM hearing for the Lake
Shore Hospital Authority. Please email me with a direct
phone number and a time that I can call you regarding
this issue."

Mr. Berry has long lunches, and neither he, nor
the Gov's. Board will reveal when he works.

At 11:44 am, one minute before lunch time, Mr. Berry
responded to Ms. Blick.

Mr. Berry sent the DOR some attachments. All, save
for one are undated. There are no explanations on the
documents

Mr. Berry wrote the following:

Ms. Bllck, Attached please find a copy of the
original ad and ad specifications (attachment #1). We
ran this ad on Wednesday, September 14, 2016. The
newspaper (Lake City Reporter) did not print the tax
increase ad in a 1/4 page ad. This was not discovered
until Saturday, September 17, 2016. Upon discovery I was
advised by our State Auditor, CPA (Richard Powell) to
cancel the meeting and reschedule the hearing for
Monday, September 26, 2016. This is what I have done.
Attachment #2 is the ads that will run in the paper
Wednesday, September 21, 2016 for the meeting scheduled
for Monday, September 26, 2016. We will forward you a
copy of the newspaper ad after it runs tomorrow.

Lake Shore Hospital Manager Berry
He does not respond to questions

On September 20, at 4:55 pm, your reporter asked Mr.
Berry via email, why he canceled the budget hearing and
why it took him so long to update the Authority calendar
to reflect the changes.

He did not reply. The LC Reporter knew the answer. It
is nowhere in the newspaper.

Your reporter continued, "Additionally, pursuant to
the Public Record Law of Florida, please forward all
emails received or sent by you concerning the
cancelation and rescheduling of the final LSHA budget
hearing beginning on September 12, 2016 and ending
today, September 20, 2016."

As usual, Mr. Berry is ignoring and stonewalling the
request. The Observer has heard nothing from Mr. Berry,
even though it would have been a snap to forward the
email he sent to the Dept. of Revenue and any other
emails he received or sent regarding this issue.

LSHA 8 (clockwise from top):
Koby Adams - political operative and Liz Porter's Chief of
staff
Brandon Biel - latest Scott appointee and a young republican
on the move
Dr. Waseem Khan - a board member who
lives out of the county
Janet Creel - real estate broker
Ron Foreman - father of the County Atny
Tim Murphy - a nice guy, talented welder, clueless about
government
Board Chairwoman Lory Chancy - her main job appears to be
not to answer questions and to protect Columbia County's
legendary political operative, Jackson P. "Jack" Berry (in
the middle).